Whipstaff Tales: The Early Encounter
by Mia Vaan
Summary: When Kat investigates the Ghostly Trio's apparent want to keep her out of trouble, she discovers the truth behind her mother's death...and how it connects with her crazy new life.
1. Chapter One: The Alley

**Disclaimer: The rights for **_**Casper**_** belong to Harvey comics and Universal Pictures. Original characters belong to the author.**

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><p>"<em>There really is no way we can know the heart, the intentions, or the circumstances of someone who might say or do something we find reason to criticize. Thus, judge not."<em> – Thomas S. Monson

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><p>Kat threw the hood from her head when the rain finally stopped. Walking along the wet, dark streets, she was thankful it had. <em>The best thing that's happened all day<em>.

Her day hadn't been the greatest. First there had been the dumb, morning routine where the Ghostly Trio would tease her while her father would try and persuade the ghosts to let him give them yet another therapy session. That was normal, so she had let it slide.

But then there was school. While most of the students had run from her on sight in case she'd brought her ghost friends to school (Casper was there, but he remained invisible), Amber and the Jennifers – along with a couple of other anti-Kat groupies – had surrounded her, taunting her. This was near enough normal, too.

One that day, however, Kat had finally let it get to her and ended up slapping Amber across her fake-tanned face – just as a teacher had been coming around the corner, too.

This had resulted in detention. Kat found it unfair how Amber and her friends didn't get a word spoken to them, but then again, she shouldn't have been surprised. Amber was the daughter of the richest man in town – and also the one who helped fund the school. The teachers didn't want to discipline her in case they lost his support.

Then to make matters worse, it had been dark when Kat finally left school. There was no bus. And it was raining. She expected that much, since it was November – therefore making it cold, too – but it still pissed her off.

_At least the rain's stopped now_, she thought to herself. As she cautiously made her way through town, she wondered where Casper was. He'd been with her all throughout detention, but had suddenly disappeared when it ended. She tried to not let it get to her; she was a big girl, and knew she was capable of walking home in the dark-

Someone grabbed her from behind and pulled her into an alley. Kat screamed, but was silenced when the person slapped a hand across her mouth. Realizing the size of the hand, Kat was surprised to discover that whoever had grabbed her couldn't have been any older than she was. When whoever it was loosened his grip, Kat turned to try and make out who it was.

She sighed in frustration. "Vic, you scared me."

The boy smirked, but not in a friendly manner. It was more flirtatious. "Sorry," he apologized. "But I wanted to talk to you. You keep ignoring me at school."

"You say that as if you're surprised," she muttered bitterly. Kat had been trying to avoid Vic ever since the Halloween party, and with good reason to. Not only had he stood her up, but he'd also tried to crash it, and probably would have succeeded if the Trio hadn't intervened. Afterwards she hadn't been sure whether to hate them for it or thank them for it – not that she would have ever thanked them out loud.

"I am," he tried to tell her. But Kat could tell by the look in his eyes that he didn't really mean it. "About the party, Kat; Amber dragged me into it. Her father's a rich man, and he's helping my family out."

_Liar. I already know about your family. They're almost as rich as hers is. _

"If I didn't do as she said, we'd be broke," he continued. Apparently he hadn't notice the look of distaste upon Kat's face. "I'm really sorry. I hope you can forgive me. I wanna make it up to you. Really."

Kat couldn't believe she'd been attracted to this guy before. She'd heard from one of the shy girls – a girl named Ellie, and the only one who talked to her – that Vic could be nice and charming at first. But then as time went on, his true colours would show. He was a jerk. Pretty much every girl in the school had fallen for him, later to have their hearts broken by him.

Kat had fallen for him, and her heart had been broken. Now she just wanted him to leave her alone. "Get lost, Vic. I know what kind of boy you really are."

She tried to push him away, but Vic grabbed her arms roughly and pinned her to the wall. The smile was gone from his face.

"I really don't want to hurt you, Kat," he spoke. "I feel sorry for you; the other kids always run from you for no reason. And I don't like how Amber treats you. It's not fair."

Kat raised an eyebrow. "Then if you think it's not fair, why don't you stand up for me?"

"Because I still have an image to think about." Kat restrained herself from rolling her eyes. "You can have that image too if you go out with me."

"I wouldn't go out with you if there was a zombie apocalypse and you were the last man left. I'd rather go out with a zombie."

She struggled to break free, but Vic was stronger and kept her firmly pinned against the wall. So Kat began to cry for help; Casper had to be around somewhere... But Vic slapped his hand across her mouth again. "Will you shut up! Someone's gonna hear you!"

Kat bit his hand and he yelped, pulling away from her. "That's the point!" She cried out again.

This time, he slapped her clean across the face. Kat was momentarily stunned, and kept herself up against the wall as she held her cheek to stop the stinging. She found herself sliding down the wall to the ground.

But, no sooner had Vic slapped her, he was suddenly pulled into the air by an invisible force. He cried out in panic. Kat watched with wide eyes as this same forced dumped him into a trash can; then the lid was placed on top before the entire can was tipped on its side and sent rolling down the hill, Vic still screaming with terror inside.

When he was gone, Kat turned to where she guessed the ghost still was. For a moment she thought it was Casper; even though he didn't like to scare humans, he had admitted that he would if Kat was ever in danger. So, it would make sense that it was him...

But her eyes widened when she recognized the familiar chorus of cackling. _I don't believe it..._ The Ghostly Trio appeared, still laughing over their deed.

"Ya shoulda seen his face!" Stinkie was saying.

"The guy didn't know what hit him!" Fatso agreed. The "fat" of his large belly rippled as he laughed. "Until the lid hit him!"

Then they heard the distinct sound of the trash can hitting a wall, to which Stretch smirked gleefully at. "He knows what hit him now!" This was followed by more laughter.

Kat just stared at the three of them with confusion and uncertainty, her hand still pressed against her cheek. The Trio were the _last_ guys she'd expect to go around saving people, especially her. She didn't say anything, but Stretch eventually turned his attention on her, scowling in her direction. "Are ya gonna get up, fleshie?" She blinked, before struggling to rise to her feet. "You bonebags are so clueless. Instead of getting up from the wet ground yous just stare dumbly at us."

"Sorry if I'm too 'boneheaded' to get over the fact that _you just saved me_." She gave the three of them a firm stare.

"Well _excuse_ us if you just so happened to be getting manhandled by the only fleshie in the area worthy of scarin'," Stinkie snapped back. "Honestly, where are all the fleshies tonight?"

"It's dinner time. They're eating," Fatso stated. "Which reminds me; where's Ca-" What he was about to say next was cut short by Stretch, who's hand morphed into a mallet before hitting the fatter ghost over the head with it.

Kat just blinked at them. "So you scared Vic because he's the only one around?"

"Duh," Stretch replied, as if it was obvious. "Why would we want to save a whiny little brat like you?"

She had to admit that he had a point. The Trio were...well, the Trio. They _scared_ fleshies and didn't give a damn about them, which included herself and her father... And yet, Kat couldn't help but sense there was something else to it, especially since the expression Stretch's face was one which told her he was hiding something.

But she knew trying to get it out of them would be useless. Her dad couldn't get anything out of them, and he was their therapist.

"I don't care what your motives were," she finally spoke. "Let's just get back home."

Kat expected the Trio to soar ahead of her and leave her to walk by herself. It was more convenient for them. But instead they hovered around her, Stinkie inspecting every trash can they passed while Fatso peered into the windows of the houses, no doubt looking for food to eat. She sensed Stretch give her the occasional sideways glance, but he always looked away again when he realized she'd noticed.

It just caused more puzzlement for her. Why had Casper suddenly disappeared? Why had the Trio apparently "saved" her? And why were they sticking around when they could just easily fly back to Whipstaff and leave her?

She shook her head. _This is crazy_.


	2. Chapter Two: Morning Routine

The next morning, Kat greeted her exhausted father half way along the upstairs hallway. "Hey, Dad."

James Harvey had been running a tired hand through his hair, and when he heard his daughter's voice, he raised his eyes and only nodded in reply to her greeting. The doc had stayed up until way past midnight working on one of his latest papers about the process of crossing over; it had taken twelve cups of coffee, but he made it.

After she had arrived home the previous night, Kat hadn't disturbed him. But seeing as he was up, she decided to ask the question she'd been meaning to ask him. "I know you're tired and all that, but...I need to ask you something."

"Fire away, honey. My ears are always open for you." The pair reached the stairs, which they climbed down slowly due to James' still blurry eyes and spinning head. "Unless I'm making an important phone call; then they're not."

Kat rolled her eyes. "It's about the trio," she began. "Is there anything about them which seems a little...off, to you? For ghosts who only exist to scare, I mean. Or recently, has their behaviour been off?"

Her father shrugged, shaking his head. "They've been going out a lot more, compared to when I first started with them. But I think they're just scaring like they usually do. Other than that, nothing." Noticing his daughter's look of disappointment, he paused and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to pause, too. "You were indirectly asking me if they've come any closer to crossing over, weren't you?"

"Well, ac-"

"I know they can be annoying, honey, but they're like school bullies," James continued. "If you ignore them, they'll eventually get bored and leave you alone. I've never dealt with ghosts like them before, but already I know that they love to have a good time, they're all for excitement, and I feel that they scare because they're very...insecure about something-"

"Dad." He paused and looked at her again. "You haven't gotten anywhere with them, have you?"

He sighed. "No, not really." He patted her shoulder before they began descending the stairs again. "But I'll get there soon, honey. I promise."

"But that's what you said yesterday, Dad!" Kat complained. "And the day before that, and the day before that..."

"They have to cross over eventually," said her father. Kat decided not to comment further, so continued to the kitchen in silence.

When the girl opened the door, she ducked without missing a beat as chocolate paste came soaring her way. It hit the wall behind her with a splat, and Kat continued towards her seat.

Her father, though, didn't have such reflexes. When he stepped into the room another lump of chocolate paste was thrown, hitting him directly in the face. He paused with an un-amused expression as a chorus of laughter followed the hit. "Boys, what have I told you about taking your repressed anger out on you food?" he spoke, slowly wiping the chocolate from his face.

The Ghostly Trio were still laughing. "Thinking about it," began Fatso, "I think it's a waste of food. It should be eaten, not thrown."

Stretch's hand morphed into a frying pan, which he used to whack Fatso around the head. "Who are ya, Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes? Da food's still goin' ta waste; it falls right through ya, chub-chub!"

"Hey, not it-" But when Fatso glanced at the floor, he noticed that his brother was right. "Oh yeah. It does."

Kat ignored them as she sat herself down at the table – but not without smelling something rather horrible. Her nose wrinkled. "What died in here?"

"I did!" The trio laughed at Stinkie's comment. Kat tried to ignore the fact that she'd pretty much walked right into that one.

Casper was there before anything more could be said, placing a plate full of pancakes before here. "Sorry about that. We had a rotten egg, and Uncle Stinkie thought it would be a good idea to use it as deodorant." Behind him, said ghost chuckled.

Kat sent him a look. When she had returned home the night before, the little ghost had still been nowhere to be found. This was the first time she'd seen him since detention. "Casper, where were you yesterday?"

The little ghost laughed nervously, and Kat could tell he was trying to come up with an excuse. "I had some...er...business to take care of!" he finally replied. Kat then noticed him glance nervously at Stretch, who in turn, glared right back at him. "Yeah! Business! Important business!"

"Business? What business?" Kat wasn't buying it. "Casper, what were you _really_ up to?"

"But it _was _business! Honest!"

"What business, then?"

He paused and hesitated again, his hand scratching his head nervously. "My...unfinished business?"

His friend knew she wouldn't get anything out of him with the trio present; she could see Casper glancing back and forwards, and the obvious glares upon the trio's faces were making him anxious. So she decided to go with it. She could ask Casper later, when the trio were gone. "Well, since you're still here I assume it wasn't successful, right?"

"Yeah...right." The little ghost chuckled nervously again, but Kat noticed he was far more relaxed than before.

Kat smiled...but hoped that he'd be willing to talk later, when they walked to school.

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><p>"I don't believe this!" Kat sighed with frustration as she quickened her pace, so as not to be late for school and receive <em>another<em> detention.

Casper had disappeared again. The girl had waited for him on the porch for _fifteen minutes_, before finally walking on without him so she wasn't late. _What's up with him lately? He always walks to school with me_. But she didn't focus her anger on this for long; she needed to get to school, so began jogging along the path.

The bell rang just as she arrived on the grounds, and the kids who had all been talking to each other outside began to barge through the main doors. Kat slowed herself down to save from getting "accidentally" pushed, but when she passed by the big tree on the grass, she was suddenly grabbed and pulled behind it.

She was relieved to find it was only Ellie. "Ellie, what was that for?"

The shy brunette avoided eye contact with her. She'd been the only one who hadn't attended the Halloween party, and therefore, hadn't seen any of the ghosts. Kat was thankful that at least someone still talked to her, even if Ellie couldn't stand up for Kat whenever Amber started her tauntings – but she couldn't really stand up for _herself_, either. "I'm sorry," she began, "but..."

"But what?"

"Vic transferred out early this morning," Ellie explained.

Kat blinked. "Is that it?" She felt glad, and rather pleased that the trio had done what they did the evening previous, even if she didn't know their motives behind it.

"No," Ellie answered. She arranged the glasses which sat on her face. "He was really shaken up, so some of the boys thought it was your fault. They think you bewitched him, or something."

Kat rolled her eyes. What were they going to come up with next? Just because she lived with ghosts didn't mean she was a witch – the trio would never have allowed it (opposed to their current tolerance), having already vented their feelings towards witches. "So what are they going to do about it?"

At that moment, shadows loomed over both of the girls, and they turned to see a group of five boys surrounding them. Kat recognized them as Nick, Joe, Cameron, Sam and Dave. Dave – the leader – sent the girls a scowl. "Get the nerd out the way and hold the _witch_." Joe and Sam grabbed Ellie and pulled her away before Cameron and Nick grabbed Kat and held her firmly. Kat struggled, but wasn't strong enough for them.

Dave spat at the ground before her. "What'cha do ta Vic? Did ya curse him, or somethin'? And he only wanted ta ask ya out, too. Why he would is beyond me. You're a demented _bitch_ who needs ta be taught a lesson." He held his fist, ready for the first punch. "Where's your ghost friends now, huh?"

Suddenly, Kat felt a rush of cold flow through her body and her mouth was forced open – by Stretch, whose head protruded from it. "Right here, skinsack!" He laughed.

Dave screamed and so did Cameron and Nick, who let go of Kat and allowed her to fall to the ground.

In the same instant, Stinkie appeared next to Joe and Sam. "Smellogram!" He breathed in their faces, and the two boys let go of Ellie as they coughed at the smell.

The four boys ran from the ghosts, screaming like a group of girls. Only Dave remained, breathing heavily and his anger building. He turned to Kat, who was still on the ground. "Why you-" He went to punch her again, but then, Fatso rose from beneath the ground in front of her.

"Knuckle sandwich, my favourite!" He opened his mouth and bit down on Dave's fist.

It didn't hurt, but it certainly freaked him out; Dave screamed like his friends had done, making a run for the school entrance like his backside was on fire. The trio laughed at their latest scare, Stretch and Stinkie giving each other a high five.

Kat picked herself up, not sure what to make of this; it was the second time they'd saved her, both within the space of twenty-four hours. "What was that about?"

The trio just looked at her. "Well _excuse_ us for tryin' ta do our job!" Stretch snapped at her.

"That one's still here." Fatso pointed to where Ellie still stood, frozen stiff with her eyes wide as saucers.

Kat cautiously made her way over to her friend. _I hope this doesn't scare her away_. "Ellie? You OK?" Ellie's eyes rolled as she fainted, and Kat was able to catch her under the arms before she could hit the ground. The trio cackled together, and Kat sent them a glare. "That _wasn't_ funny." Then she had to admit with a shrug, "But scaring those boys _was_ a little funny."

"A little funny, yes," Stretch echoed. "Which reminds me; we've got bigger fleshies ta scare, so if yous excuse us..." They vanished before Kat could say anything more to them.

She stared at the air where they'd been before, and sighed. That time, it was obvious they'd saved her; what else would they be doing? But the question was...why? Why would they go out of their way to save her?

The girl wasn't sure...but she was determined to find out.


	3. Chapter Three: Kept Secrets

After Ellie woke up, and after Kat assured her that yes, the ghosts were real, and no, they weren't going to hurt her, the girls visited the nurse to see if Ellie was OK (since she had, after all, fainted). The trip got them out of detention, and Kat was glad to learn that the five boys each received detention after they hid in the bathroom for the first hour of the day.

When she arrived home that day, the entire house was empty. No sign of her dad and no sign of ghosts. _Perfect_. It was just what she needed to start her investigation.

First stop was her room to dump her bag, but no sooner had she done this she was out again, creeping along the hallway towards the bedroom of the notorious Ghostly Trio. Sometimes she wondered why they needed a bedroom if they were out all night haunting, but past nights had informed her – due to the snoring – that they sometimes liked to have a good night's rest.

Kat paused outside the door, and after glancing left and right, she pushed it open. Even in the day, it was dark and creepy, and Kat reached for the light switch; the room lit up, revealing three familiar beds. Kat hadn't been in the room since her arrival – when she had glanced in only once – but nothing had changed.

The girl didn't know what she was looking for, but knew it was worth a glance, anyway. _Maybe Stinkie or Fatso keep a diary, or something?_ Considering the former's slight sensitive side and the latter's stupidity, Kat wouldn't have been surprised if it were true.

She took careful steps into the room, in case one of the trio was still about somewhere in the house – ghosts could make themselves invisible, after all. Stinkie's bed was the first she approached; the draws in the cabinet next to it were empty, so instead, she lifted up first the covers and pillows before lifting up the mattress.

She immediately recoiled back with her hand over her nose, dropping the mattress in the process. Kat had only caught a glimpse of the sight for a moment, but it had been enough to almost make her throw up; garbage had been stuffed under the mattress, half of it rotting away while the other half was still fresh. It disgusted her, but on second thoughts, she hadn't expected anything less from the smaller ghost.

Kat hastily moved along to Fatso's bed, but once again wasn't surprised when she opened the draw and found it stuffed with cakes, candy, and various other goodies. It was the same in the pillows, and in the covers, and even under the mattress. Food everywhere. She even found a candy bar which had gone missing from her bag a week before.

Finally, she came to Stretch's bed. With no obvious interest or habit other than scaring fleshies, Kat wasn't sure what to find – unless he kept a book of all the fleshies he'd scared, each with a red 'X' through their picture. Shivering at the disturbing mental image, Kat took a few steps closer, hand out ready to pull back the sheets...

Something cold as ice gripped her wrist, and she gasped when a hand suddenly appeared. The hand forced her to turn, and Kat came face to face with an un-amused Ghostly Trio. She tried to say something, but no sooner had her mouth opened she was picked up and tossed out the door, landing hard in the hallway. This was followed by a chorus of laughter.

"Didn't the doc teach ya dat it's rude ta be snoopin' in other people's rooms?" Stretch asked, extending his long neck out the door.

Stinkie's face joined him. "A fleshie with no manners!"

And so did Fatso's. "Who'd 'ave thought it?"

"Well maybe if you told me _why_ you're suddenly concerned about my safety, I wouldn't _have_ to go snooping!" Kat picked herself up, brushing the dust from her jeans.

"Trust us, bonebag; we don't wanna be lookin' out for ya hide, either," Stretch informed her, the tone of his voice sounding both annoyed and disgusted. "I'd personally rather be _alive_."

"Dat's sayin' something."

"I don't wanna go through life again."

Kat gave them a puzzled look. "Then if you don't want to, why bother?"

Stretch's eyes narrowed. "'Cause we got no choice in der matter. And dat's none of ya business!" They brought their heads in again before slamming the door shut behind them.

Kat, still confused and uncertain, approached the door again. "What do you mean it's none of my business? It concerns me, so it _should_ be!" She tried to open the door again, but it was locked. Then, for good measure, Stinkie passed his head through the door and burped, filling Kat's nostrils with a horrible smell which caused her to back off in a hurry. She muttered angrily at the chorus of laughter which followed, "Stupid ghosts."

The sound of the front door opening caught her attention, and she was immediately hurrying down the stairs to greet her father. James was carrying two brown shopping backs, one in each arm, along with a bag over his shoulder; his eyes lit up when he caught sight of his daughter. "Oh, honey, could you take one?"

Kat relieved one arm from the load, and James let out a sigh of relief. "Dad, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, honey." The pair carried the bags into the kitchen, which they placed on the side. "I already told you this morning that my ears are always open to you, apart from the phone thing I told you about." Knowing that Casper would put away the food, father and daughter then made their way towards James' office; once inside he placed his bag by his desk before he began sorting out the papers on top.

Kat hesitated for a moment. "It's about the trio."

"Again?"

"I didn't want to tell you before, but they did it again today." She hesitated again. "A boy harassed me last night."

James froze, and very slowly, he turned to face her with that expression on his face which Kat was all too used to. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew you'd give me that look and go all overprotective father on me!" Kat complained. "And it doesn't matter; the trio sorted him out, and he transferred out today. But then some bullies confronted me and Ellie, and the trio showed up _again_ and scared them off! Don't you think that's a little...odd, for them?"

Deep in thought, James turned away. Kat could tell he was really thinking about this. "I don't know," he eventually spoke, shrugging a little. "There's so many things I don't know about those guys. I'll ask them during the next session."

"Like _that'll_ work; they barely tell you anything _now_!"

"They might," he stated. "Remember these are the same ghosts who kept their word and found your mother."

_Yeah, don't remind me_. Kat had been rather upset that she hadn't been able to see her mother one last time – but then again, she had been a little busy dancing with Casper... "It doesn't matter. They're still the Ghostly Trio. It's all they'll ever be to me."

"At least give them some time, honey," her father said. "You might be surprised." Then, after a second thought, "Do you really have that little faith in me?" After she sent him a look, he deflated. "Guess not."

"It's not that I don't have any faith in you, Dad," she informed him. "It's just...you're usually a little faster than this. With the other ghosts, you were already much further along two weeks into it – at least, that's what I could make out from your ramblings."

He had to shrug in agreement. "They're just taking a little longer."

"A little?"

"OK, a lot. But I'll get there. I promise."

"Promise is a strong word, Dad." Kat turned to leave, but not without glancing at the picture of her mother sat upon her father's desk. It had been over two years since she died...

Kat could remember waking up in the hospital with no memory of what had happened, before being told by her father that she and her mother had been involved in a car accident. Amelia had been killed while she had narrowly escaped. Kat herself couldn't remember the accident...but she knew it was best she didn't. That memory of being in hospital afterwards was already painful enough.

Once she was out of the office Kat hurried up to her room, scuttling past the trio's room should they try anything else on her. When inside she locked the door, despite knowing that wouldn't stop the ghosts from coming in. As soon as she sat on the bed Kat felt a familiar rush of cold air, and turning her head to the side, the girl came face to face with Casper.

He gave her an awkward smile, as if he knew what was coming. "Hey."

"Casper, where were you this morning? Do you know how long I waited?"

The ghost flinched away. "I know, but...er...I had..."

"And don't you _dare_ say you had 'unfinished business'! I know you were lying to me this morning. Tell me the _truth_."

"I..." Casper hesitated. "I...I can't. They said that if I told you-"

"They?" When Casper's eyes went wide, Kat knew he had let something slip. _This has the Ghostly Trio written all over it_. "Casper, if it's your uncles, you can tell me. I need to know."

He sighed. "Well, they-"

Like with what had happened to Kat, and hand appeared out of nowhere and grabbed hold of Casper, this time by the neck. The rest of the body appeared afterwards; it was Stretch, and he didn't look happy.

"Wha' was dat, short-sheet?" he asked in a menacing tone.

"N-Nothing, Uncle Stretch," the little ghost stammered, struggling in his grasp.

The older ghost seemed satisfied. "Good." Then, after sending Kat a glare, he disappeared through the wall with Casper still in his clutches.

Kat continued to stare at the empty space where they had once been. _Something's definitely going on here. And whatever it is, the trio don't want me to find out._


	4. Chapter Four: The Vacuum Incident

It was a bad idea.

Kat knew fully well how bad an idea it was, and what she was getting herself into, but there were no other options. Well, there was one...but she didn't want to use _that_ one. That one would get Stretch's anger at a level she didn't want to experience.

With the small dust buster in her hand, she crept around the house cautiously, waiting for any kind of spectre to float by – and then, she would pounce. The girl couldn't understand how the ghosts get stuck in the vacuums; they could fly, move through walls and morph into just about anything. And yet, they couldn't escape a vacuum cleaner (the only reason the Trio got out before was because Casper had let them out when they started to get _really_ angry).

But Kat didn't complain about the mystery; it always got rid of the jerks for a few hours before either Casper or her father let them out.

She ran through the plan in her mind; wait for a ghost, vacuum him up, and refuse to let him out until he answered her questions. Thankfully Casper was running errands for his uncles, so there was no chance of sucking him up by accident.

_I hope I get Fatso; he's stupid enough to talk, especially if I don't let him eat. Stinkie might be reasonable, too_. Stretch, on the other hand, was another matter entirely, and Kat hoped she didn't catch the Trio's notorious leader. None of them liked being vacuumed up, but he was always the least impressed, and Kat usually had to avoid the house for a few hours afterwards. Or hide in the old lab.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the familiar sound of cackling laughter, and Kat stopped walking to hide herself behind one of the many suits of armour. The hallway she occupied was on route to the ghosts' bedroom; all she had to do was wait.

The young teen felt the familiar rush of cold air, and when a white shape passed her she flipped the switch and vacuumed him up, without even checking which ghost she'd caught. Then she hurried away before the other two could process what had happened (wherever they were) and give chase.

Kat locked herself in the closet and spoke, "Alright, pillowcase. I'm not letting you out until you start talking. I want answers and I want them _now_. Why did you save me from Vic and those bullies? And what are you doing to Casper?"

There was silence, and Kat wondered if she'd caught any of them at all. But then... "Look, you fleshie dolt. You better let me outta here before the boys find ya and things get ugly."

Kat rolled her eyes and sighed with frustration. _Great, I had to get Stretch, didn't I? Oh well, he's better than nothing..._ "You want out? Talk. I doubt they even know what's happened. So you better start singing, birdie."

The ghost inside the dust buster growled, and Kat knew his anger was starting to boil over the pan. The girl knew she shouldn't push it, but she was desperate, and willing to push her luck to get what she wanted.

"I can't hear any talking," she said mockingly. This earned another growl from the trapped ghost. "And I thought my dad was giving you lessons on how to control your anger-"

"Listen, bonebag!" Stretch said through clenched teeth. "Wha' me and my brothers are doin' is strictly Ghost Law; somethin' you and dat dumb doc of a dad of yours will _never_ understand!"

Kat blinked. _Ghost Law?_ She didn't even know there was _any_ kind of Ghost Law. Her father had never spoken of it, anyway. "So what does that state? That you have to protect the people you live with, or something?" Although, that wouldn't make any sense, she realized. They'd already gotten her father killed on one occasion – something she'd rather forget.

This time, she heard Stretch chuckle a little; that condescending one which adults had, when the child they were talking to didn't understand something. "If only things were dat simple, fleshie."

The teen opened her mouth to ask another question – a little stunned that she was getting _anything_ out of Stretch – when suddenly the closet door was thrown open and Kat was picked up by her ankle, dropping the dust buster in the process. "Hey! Put me down!"

From her upside down view, she could see that Fatso had hold of her, while Stinkie flipped the reverse switch and allowed Stretch out of the small machine. He stretched himself out – quite a way, given his name. "Boy, dat thing is _cramped_ in d'ere." Then his attention turned to Kat, and he sent her a glare before taking her from Fatso. "Now...what ta do with _you_."

"If you guys do _anything_ to me, my dad will...will... He'll do something!" It was a small threat, and she knew it, but it was all she had. The Trio seemed to have a liking for her father, bizarre as it was.

"Dat crazy doc can't do anything ta us," Stinkie stated with a wave of his hand.

"Actually, he can starve us," Fatso spoke up. Stinkie whacked him over the head.

"I d'ink he'd be grateful after we're through with _you_." Stretch smirked, and Kat knew exactly what it meant. "After wha' you did, dis will be considered a...light punishment."

* * *

><p>When Dr. Harvey arrived home later that day, he was surprised when he heard a murmuring sound coming from one of the cupboards in his office. Placing his bag down by the desk, he followed the sound and opened the door...<p>

"Honey, what happened?"

Kat was tied up in the cupboard with a gag in her mouth, thankfully looking more annoyed that scared. James removed the gag, allowing Kat to reply, "The Trio happened. _That's_ what!"


	5. Chapter Five: Ghost Law

**AN: If the theories behind Ghost Law match other people's theories, I apologize. It wasn't intentional.**

* * *

><p>After James untied her, helped her out of the cupboard and got her a glass of water, Kat proceeded to tell him exactly what had happened and how it was all the fault of the Trio. Her father tried to keep an open mind as he listened.<p>

"And after being forced to breathe through my nose with Stinkie's "foot" in my face, they tied me up, took my shoes off and tickled my feet!" she complained. "Then they gagged me and left me where you found me. They're a bunch of creepy, dick-headed jerks! Why won't they just cross over?"

Dr. Harvey tried to lay his hand on his daughter's shoulder to calm her down. "Well, I'm looking at things from both sides, and theoretically…you shouldn't have used the dust buster on them."

The hand was shrugged away. "It's _their_ fault this happened; they refuse to tell me anything! I have a right to know!"

"You have a right to know, I agree, but after knowing, would you regret it?"

Kat blinked. "Regret it?"

"Maybe they're not telling you for a reason," her father continued. "Maybe if they told you, you'd wish they hadn't."

"Dad, if it's anything which would freak me out they _would_ have told me." Kat rolled her eyes. "It's like you don't know those guys at all. They live to scare and drive us nuts. I mean, they don't _live_ because they're not alive… Whatever."

With a shrug of his shoulders, the doctor rose from his seat and began to search through his many notebooks which lined the shelves. "They might surprise you."

"I doubt it." She sighed, and then remembered what Stretch had been telling her before his brothers had interrupted. "At least I found out _something_. Dad, do you know anything about Ghost Law?"

It was almost as if James had known she was going to ask about it; he placed a large notebook on the desk, his messy handwriting scribbled across the front; _Ghost Law_. "It's what I've gathered and picked up from many past clients. Casper and the guys told me some stuff, too."

Kat briefly wondered why Casper (and the Trio) hadn't told _her_, but this wondering faded when her father opened up the book and began to read through his notes.

"One of the first things I found out about it is that ghosts don't scare kids aged six and under," he told her. "They traumatize easier than older kids, which makes scaring them harder later in life. I found that out when I was helping a living impaired mother with her still-living four year old son."

Listening, Kat found that the law…strangely made sense. She had never seen the Trio scare kids that young, and Casper had certainly kept his distance from them in case he did so accidentally. "What else is there?"

"Ghosts aren't allowed to talk to or have any contact with witches and warlocks, unless they were related to a witch or a warlock in life, or were a witch and a warlock in life."

"I know _that_ one already." To quote Stretch, _"Witches are fleshies with power"_, therefore allowing them to fight back against ghosts. So they preferred to stay away from them. "Is there anything in there which might be useful?"

James flicked through the many pages of the notebook. "There's a lot of stuff in here, honey," he informed. "It would take a while to read through. Every law in here is still withstanding. Oh, apart from the one about Halloween."

"Which is?"

"Ghosts weren't allowed to scare on Halloween. It was considered a holiday for them. It was overturned due to complaints."

"Oh." _But it would have been funny to see the Trio get into trouble for their Halloween stunt, even if they did scare Amber and Vic_. "Why don't you let me read through it?"

"OK." Dr. Harvey sent her a questioning look. "Why?"

"I want to see if I can find anything explaining the Trio's actions," she explained. "When I vacuumed Stretch, he said that what they were doing was because of Ghost Law. I want to see if there's anything in here which could match to that."

"I haven't got every law there is," her father informed, "but I'll leave you to it. Just let me know when you find anything."

But Kat didn't hear him; she was already reading the page which had its corner folded down. "Huh. I didn't know that."

"Which law is it?" But he knew which law she meant; he had folded the page down himself.

"This one." She pointed at the sentence on the page. "It says that all ghosts must keep to their word and keep their promises, no matter what. That's why the Trio brought back Mum."

James only nodded. When his daughter disappeared up to her room, taking the notebook with her, James found himself staring at the picture of his late wife which sat on the desk. Her eyes were staring into his – almost as if she was right there in the room with him, as she had been that night over two weeks before.

"I can't tell her, Amelia. Not yet."

Amelia seemed to understand, and the staring ceased. James sighed.

He knew what was going on. The Trio had told him themselves. But there was a reason he couldn't tell Kat.


	6. Chapter Six: Casper Comes Clean

**AN: The event that happens in this chapter isn't the 9/11 attack. It's a bombing that happened in 1993.**

* * *

><p>Hours later, Kat was still in her room, reading through the notebook her dad had given her. When Casper finally plucked up the guts to face her, she was upside down against the wall, her feet in the air with the book held above her head.<p>

He floated there for a few moments, hesitating and hoping Kat wouldn't know he was in the room, but she sensed his presence. "Casper, is that you?"

The little ghost sighed. "Yeah. Dr. Harvey said you were reading about Ghost Law. You find anything yet?"

"Not anything that would be useful," she replied. "Just one weird law after another; can you really summon dead baseball players by building a baseball field?"

Casper laughed a little at that. "Yeah. It's the 'If you build it, they will come' rule."

Kat laughed along with him. Then she closed the book and placed it down, sitting herself upright. "Are your uncles still out?"

He nodded. "They're crashing a high school reunion in the next town. They'll be gone for a while." The ghost grew increasingly nervous, knowing exactly what she was going to ask him.

"Good. You obviously know what's going on; can you tell me?"

Casper's hesitation continued. "I don't know... They made me promise not to tell you... They'll kill me over again if I did..." He drifted down, so he sat on the bed beside her.

Kat placed her hand upon his; it felt cold beneath hers, and didn't drift through like it usually did. "Please? It's not that I want to know; I feel that I _need_ to know."

The room was silent for what could have been minutes, as Casper tried to make up his mind. But in the end, he did; Kat knew he had when he gave a determined sigh. "OK. But I don't know where to start?"

Kat frowned. _Is it really that big?_ "Why do you keep disappearing?"

"My uncles keep sending me away," Casper replied, his blue eyes staring at the floor. "Sending me on all these errands. Picking up food from China, Italy, India... They keep getting me out of the way – away from you."

"Why?"

He sighed. "I guess they...don't want me seeing what they're doing."

"Which is?"

His next words came out slowly, and took a while to do so. "...Protecting you."

Kat blinked. She suspected that was what they were doing, but having Casper tell her so...it was different. "But why? It doesn't make any sense. And what's it got to do with Ghost Law?"

"Everything," her friend replied. "And that's not even the beginning."

Kat's interest was immediately drawn in...but there was also a feeling of dread there, too. Deep down – almost as if she knew what he was going to say... "Then what is?"

Casper screwed his eyes shut. "I overheard it one night. I was going to ask Dr. Harvey something, but I ended up eavesdropping on him...and my uncles. They were talking about something and it...sounded serious. I've rarely heard my uncles that serious, so I listened. And...well..."

What Casper told her next was something Kat never expected.

* * *

><p><em>2 years previous...<em>

"Guys, I thought we were goin' ta see a big apple?"

Stretch clobbered his brother around the head. "I said we're goin' ta the Big Apple, numbskull," he said. "Dat's wha' fleshies call _New York_."

The three ghosts were sat upon the crown of the Statue of Liberty, after having finished scaring the tourists from inside. Stinkie let out a burp, and a passing seagull fell from the sky at the stench.

"So wha' now?" the smaller ghost asked, scratching under his arm pit.

"Wha' 'bout dinner? I'm starved," Fatso asked. "You guys got my stomach all worked up, talkin' 'bout the big apple."

Stretch clobbered him again. "Is dat all ya think about? Food?" Fatso went to open his mouth in reply, but Stretch interrupted him. "Wait, don't answer dat. It'll make me look stupider dan _you_." He clobbered his brother a third time.

"Maybe we can spookify dem fleshies in the pizzeria?" Stinkie suggested. "Dey got food for Fatso, tough skinsacks fer you, and I heard dey paid off da health inspector on deir last visit. It must be a _stinkhole_ in dere!"

"Alright, alright," Stretch agreed. "Only 'cause I can already hear Fatso's stomach growlin'; it's gettin' on my nerves."

Fatso cooed his stomach, soothing it. "He don't mean that."

The taller ghost rolled his eyes. "C'mon, chub-chub!" He grabbed Fatso and began to drag him away towards the city, Stinkie trailing after them.

All three froze when an explosion echoed through the tall buildings.

"Wha' was dat?" Stretch asked. He and Fatso looked around, trying to determine the source of the noise.

"Look dere!" Stinkie pointed in the direction of the World Trade Centre. The Trio saw thick, black smoke beginning to rise from the bottom of the North Tower. People below them were gasping and pointing, and various cops were trying to lead the crowd away.

Thoughts of raiding the pizzeria vanished, and the ghosts couldn't take their eyes off the incident happening before them. They never usually concerned themselves with fleshie affairs; there was no reason to. But neither of them had really witnessed life and death situations before, although they knew that if they did, it shouldn't bother them. They were ghosts. They couldn't die.

But this...they were unprepared for this.

"Wha' d'ya think happened?" Fatso wondered aloud.

Stretch didn't answer him. Instead he began to move towards the tower, cautious and curiously, as if some kind of force was leading him on. Stinkie and Fatso exchanged glances, shrugged, and followed.

There was chaos when they reached the site. The South Tower was being evacuated, people were fleeing the smoke up the North Tower, and police cars were parked outside, although a fire truck had yet to arrive. The trio watched until their attentions were drawn to one cop in particular.

"OK," he was saying, obviously having just finished talking with someone on the other end of his walkie-talkie. He then turned to another officer. "A man in the North Tower just called 911. He said his wife and daughter were in the parking area beneath the tower – where we think the explosion happened."

The second officer hung his head low. "Lord help them."

Stretch took off again, and Stinkie and Fatso barely kept up with him as they entered the building, heading downwards instead of up.

The smoke was thick in the underground parking area, but it didn't bother them. They were ghosts, after all. But it made it near enough impossible to see. The smoke drifted in and out of their transparent bodies, and for a few moments, the Trio were separated from one another – until Stretch came to a halt, and the other two bumped into him.

The taller ghost was listening. Stinkie and Fatso weren't sure what, until they heard it too.

A small cry for help.

"Why are we helpin' a bunch of fleshies?" Fatso wondered.

Stretch just ignored him as he took off towards the cry, and Stinkie could only offer Fatso a shrug in reply before they followed. The sound of flames was getting louder, and so were the cries. As they got closer they could hear what was being said...and from the sound of the voice, it belonged to a young girl.

"Mum! Mum, where are you?" This was followed by a coughing fit.

The Trio flew towards the voice until they spotted the kid in the smoke. She was lying on the ground, trying to slowly crawl beneath the smoke; she looked to be around ten or eleven, with long brown hair covered her face, and from what the ghosts could see, there was blood mattered into it. Blood also covered her hands, and her ankle looked sprained.

Being the more compassionate of the three ghosts, Stinkie overtook Stretch and soared down to her, and the taller ghost heard his younger brother tell her something. The girl didn't look up, but nodded and held out her hand, which Stinkie took. Fatso joined them and took the other one, before they hoisted her up and proceeded to carry her through the smoke. Stretch watched them go before turning his attention back to the smoke-filled parking area.

He knew the mother was somewhere close.

She didn't take long to find. The woman was lying motionless, apart from her chest rising and falling, and Stretch could see she was in a worse condition than her daughter had been in; there was a lot more blood, her leg was bent in a way it shouldn't bend, and – when he looked closely – a few fingers were missing. A large piece of rubble was lain across her back.

The ghost drifted down to her, removed the bit of rubble and laid a hand on her shoulder. The woman looked up, but didn't scream. Stretch wasn't sure if it was because her sight had gone or if she was in too much of a state after the explosion to see what he was. Or she was in too much of a state to _care_ what he was.

"...Kat?" she spoke in a stuttering voice, before coughing.

Realizing that must be the name of the daughter, Stretch said, "She's safe."

The mother sighed in obvious relief, before her eyes slid closed and her head fell back down again. Stretch took this as his cue to pick her up, and trying to stay as low as possible, he carried her from the building.

Outside, Stinkie and Fatso were waiting with the girl lying on the ground. No one had seen them; they were too occupied with putting the fire out and evacuating everyone else.

"The kid fainted when she saw us," Stinkie said with a shrug, explaining why the girl was out cold.

Stretch laid the mother down, trying to ignore the fact that the woman had gone cold and her breathing had stilled.

"Wha' do we do now?" asked Fatso.

The violet-eyed ghost rolled his eyes. Then, bringing his fingers to his mouth, he whistled loudly. "Hey! We need some help over here!" Then he grabbed Stinkie and Fatso before vanishing.

The Trio watched as members of the fire department appeared, hurrying towards the mother and daughter before carrying them back to where an ambulance was waiting. They watched as the daughter – Kat – was loaded in. And they watched as some of the men removed their hats when they realized the mother was dead.

As the three ghosts drifted away from the scene, it dawned on Stretch as to what he had just done. Back there, something had taken over him; some kind of instinct which he had followed without question. But even so, he had still saved a couple of fleshies. He paused and looked back at the flashing lights and the rising smoke.

Somehow he knew this would come back and bite him in the butt.


	7. Chapter Seven: Stretch Comes Clean

Kat sat on the floor of the Trio's room, her knees brought up to her chest as she awaited their return. Telling her dad she knew how her mother really died had been easier than she first thought. Telling the Trio, on the other hand...

And that wasn't even the worst part. Despite the fact that they'd saved her life, it didn't make any sense why they would want to protect her now, two years later when they didn't owe her anything. She had asked Casper, but he had told her, "Ask them. I've told you too much, already."

How she would go about trying to get it out of them, she wasn't sure. There was still her Plan B, but she only wanted to use that if she really had to.

When she heard the familiar cackling of the ghosts, she hung her head and avoided eye contact with the door. Part of her wanted the floor to open up and swallow her...but another part of her knew she had to do this. She had to know.

She felt the air turn cold as they entered the room, and their laughter stopped when they noticed her sat on the floor.

"Well, well, look who didn' learn 'er lesson," Stretch began. She felt him drift closer, but prevented herself from turning to snap at him. "I thought we told yous not ta go snoopin' around?"

Kat didn't answer him. She remained still, hoping the Trio wouldn't carry out Stretch's obvious threat.

She didn't notice Stretch raise an eyebrow at her actions. "Oh, I get it; der silent treatment. Ya protestin' against us."

"Dat don' work on us, kid," Stinkie spoke up. "We're dictators."

"We dictate," Fatso added. "Dat means we hate protesters."

"I d'ink she got dat, Fatso."

"She might not have."

Stinkie whacked him around the head.

Meanwhile Stretch was staring at Kat, who still hadn't looked up to acknowledge them. "Look, since yous lasted dis far without snappin' at us, we'll let yous off with a warnin', but next time ya won't be so lucky. Got it?"

That was when Kat turned to face him, staring directly into his violet eyes with an expression that wasn't angry or hateful; just serious. It was enough to catch Stretch's attention and he back away a little, for once uncertain of what she was going to do. Stinkie and Fatso edged behind their elder brother, watching Kat intently.

She finally spoke after a few moments silence. "I don't want to argue with you guys. I just want answers. I'll admit I've been a little pushy, and I understand that now. You guys didn't really deserve it after what you did."

Stinkie and Fatso looked up at Stretch, who was watching Kat with an unfazed expression. The girl could see that he'd figured it out, concluding that she knew; he was doing a good job of hiding his surprise, if he was even surprised at all. "Short-sheet told ya, didn't he?"

Kat finally got to her feet. "Yes, he did, and that's no excuse for you guys to go beat the crap out of him. Casper's my friend. And he didn't tell me everything. Only what happened to me and my mum."

"So you believe him?" Stretch drifted a little closer, confident that she wasn't going to vacuum him up again, although Stinkie and Fatso still hung back just in case. "Yous actually believe dat us "jerks" would go outta our way ta save da likes of _you_?"

Without hesitation, she nodded. "I remember it now."

"We did wonder why ya didn't before," Stinkie said. He and Fatso drifted closer to join their brother.

Kat shrugged. "Dad says it's psychological. Some memories are so traumatizing your brain buries them, and you only remember when you're ready to." When the Trio gave her odd looks, she rolled her eyes. "Hey, I pay attention to my dad's ramblings sometimes!"

Stretch raised an eyebrow. "It's a wonder yous can even understand dat crazy doc."

Kat ignored him and continued, averting her gaze to the floor. "Dad was seeing a patient who worked in the North Tower. He had been transferred to a higher level but had a fear of heights. Mum and I were with him; we were going to see one of the Broadway shows afterwards. In the elevator Mum realized she'd forgotten something so had to go back down to the underground parking lot, and I went with her. We were...on our way back when the bomb went off. I'd run on ahead...and the last thing I remember is Mum telling me to slow down before there was a flash of light and everything went black."

She finally looked back up at them. "I even remember you guys there...and fainting at the sight of you. I guess that explains why I fainted when I saw Casper."

"Or ye're just a wimp," Stretch suggested.

She tried not to glare at him for that. It was just his weird way of handling these situations. "I guess it's also why I freaked out at you guys, too. Usually I'm not like that; I probably would have done what I did the next morning. But since my unconscious connected ghosts with that day...I panicked."

"Maybe," Stretch said with a shrug. "And if dat's all yous wanted ta say, then get goin'. We may have saved yer life but dat don't mean we're goin' soft on yas." The Trio moved aside, clearing the way so Kat could get to the door.

"Actually, that was just the beginning." Kat folded her arms across her chest, refusing to move. "Yeah, you guys saved me, but that doesn't explain why you're all going out of your ways to protect me now. I'd just like to know why. It can't possibly be as bad as saving a couple of "fleshies" at your own free will."

"I d'ink yous had enough explanations fer one night," Stretch informed. He grabbed her arm and dragged her across the room towards the door. "So goodnight, we'll talk in da mornin'."

"Or next year."

"Or in der afterlife."

_All right, then. Time for Plan B_.

"OK, we'll talk more in the morning...Ethelwin."

Stinkie and Fatso gasped as Stretch froze, and the cool grip on her arm tightened. She had just pulled a dangerous move, and she knew it...but desperate times called for desperate measures. The taller ghost turned slowly, and Kat could see the fire starting to come to life behind his violet eyes.

"Wha'...did ya just call me?"

Despite circumstances, Kat smiled. "Ethelwin – your _real_ name."

Instantly she was sat on a wooden chair with Stretch's body wrapped around her, tying her to it. He glared at her, but Kat just smiled all the more. It was working. "How'd ya know dat name?"

"Casper's old toys weren't the only things I found in the attic," she explained. "I found a load of pictures with the names included on the frames." She turned to Stinkie and Fatso. "I also know yours, Ainsworth and Barnett." The two other ghosts gasped, exchanging worried glances. "Casper told me that all ghosts remember their names, along with any relatives who are ghosts like them. And since your parents were probably not cruel enough to name you _'Stretch, Stinkie and Fatso'_, I assumed those were names you chose yourselves. Embarrassed by your real ones, perhaps?"

"They weren't scary enough," Stinkie replied with a shrug.

"We tried to rename Casper 'Boo', but he decided to turn _friendly_." Fatso shuddered.

Kat turned back to Stretch. "The bottom line is, unless you tell me what's going on I'll pass on this classified information to all your ghost pals."

Stretch narrowed his eyes. "You wouldn't."

Kat, in turn, raised an eyebrow. "Do you really wanna go there? I know you can't hurt me."

The ghost's face screwed up until he let out an annoyed growl, letting Kat go from his grasp. She let out a sigh of relief but didn't get up from the chair; she knew she'd won. "OK, OK, alright," Stretch said. "But d'ose names go with yas ta der grave. Got it?"

"Sure, whatever." Kat rubbed her arms quickly, trying to warm herself up again.

The older ghost let out a sigh as he began. "OK, so 'bout a week or two after der incident, ya mum's ghost came ta us."

"I didn't think Mum became a ghost."

Stretch continued, "Dat's 'cause she was worried 'bout you. Ya dad was sorta keepin' her 'ere too, but it was mainly her worry fer you. She wanted to make sure yous was safe when she crossed over. Ya dad can only protect yous from so much – and I'm surprised 'e can even protect yous from _dat_."

Making the connections in her head, it finally clicked. "So she asked you guys to keep an eye on me?"

Stretch nodded. "Ya smarter dan ya look, kid," he said. "She made us promise dat if we ever came across ya, we would protect ya."

"Honestly, we didn't think we ever _would_, so agreed," Fatso added.

Stinkie nodded in agreement. "But since ya 'ere now..."

Kat understood. "You have to keep your promise. That's the Ghost Law you were talking about."

"On the dot, fleshie," Stretch said. "On the dot."

The girl looked away and leaned back into her chair. It all made sense, and she felt satisfied. It hadn't been what she was expecting, but she still felt satisfied. Part of her then wondered why the Trio rescued her and her mother in the first place...but she let it slide. She didn't really need to know, and after all that had happened, she doubted she'd get an explanation out of the Trio.

"You know, you could've just told me all this," she finally spoke up. "It would've saved us all a lot of trouble."

"Yous should know by now dat we don' work like dat, kid," Stretch replied.

Kat smirked. _Yeah, I should've known it would take some effort to get it out of them_. "And you don't have to keep sending Casper away. He keeps an eye on me, too. And it'll save you guys from doing it all the time."

"I guess." Stretch shrugged.

At that moment a call came from downstairs. "Guys! Dinner's ready!" It was Casper.

"Oh, goody! I'm starved!" Fatso immediately forgot about what had happened and bolted through the floor, Stinkie in hot pursuit, leaving Stretch and Kat alone.

"And I meant wha' I said," Stretch began again. "We're keeping our promise so yous better keep yours. If yous tell anyone our names-"

Kat raised her hands up in defence. "I know, I know. There'll be a punishment worse than death, and all that other junk." She rose from her seat. "But I understand what it's like to have a dumb name."

"Ya name's not _dat_ dumb. It's der name of a feline, sure-"

"No, I mean my _full_ name." Stretch smirked and raised an eyebrow in her direction, and Kat knew immediately that he would pester her until he got it out of her. She knew his; it was only fair that he knew hers. "It's Kathleen Valerie Evangeline Harvey."

Stretch tried not to laugh. "Dat's...some name, fleshie."

"Dad wanted my middle name to be after one of his grandmothers. But he couldn't decide which one."

"Why am I not surprised?"

Kat laughed. She had to admit...annoying as they were, having the Trio around wasn't _such_ a bad thing. They could at least make her laugh.


End file.
